Jason Bradlee: Certainly. Fujitsu Americas is the collective name we use for North America, Caribbean, Mexico and Brazil subsidiaries of Fujitsu Limited, which is the world's fifth-largest IT services provider. We offer a wide range of products and services for enterprise customers seeking to transform their organizations to thrive in the era of digital disruption. One crucial component to success in this challenging landscape is security. I lead the Enterprise & Cyber Security (ECS) business unit in the Americas. Personally, I have 25+ years of experience in the IT industry, where I’ve held roles in security, consulting, systems integration and outsourcing. All of this experience informs my approach to my current role, which is to set the overall direction for cyber security for the Americas business and ensure alignment with Fujitsu globally, while also managing market expectations, and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and other internal controls. Our Security practice provides a broad portfolio of intelligent security offerings that leverage AI, to provide intelligent-led services with built-in analytics that enable organizations to prepare for and respond to all kinds of security issues and threats. We offer a full range of security services that comprise consult, implement and managed security services, including our own IP security products and Identity and Access Management solutions, including biometrics.

Jason Bradlee: One major benefit of our global multi-modal cloud-based Biometrics as a Service platform is that, as a cloud-based service, it doesn’t require a large investment in new infrastructure, you can pay as you go and scale as you need; and can be easily integrated into existing business intelligence and systems. This helps to keep costs low and enables quick deployment, even without a dedicated biometrics expert on staff at the customer’s workplace, which lowers costs even further. Once deployed, a baseline biometrics enrollment profile ensures hassle-free onboarding. Simplicity and cost performance were key considerations when designing this offering. Finally, I’d like to mention that we take an agnostic approach as far as hardware is concerned, so customers in financial services, retail, healthcare and manufacturing industries are free to employ modalities such as voice, facial and fingerprinting applications – whatever works best for their particular requirements.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: We also read with great interest about Fujitsu’s agreement to partner with ImageWare Systems (OTCQB:IWSY) in North America, Europe, Australia and other markets.

Jim Miller, Chairman and CEO of ImageWare Systems, said, “Biometrics are not only the most secure form of authentication, but are also the easiest to use – as each user is his or her own password. By taking advantage of our powerful biometrics solutions delivered via Fujitsu’s cloud-based security as a service, many more businesses can easily enhance their security. This agreement further extends our marketing and sales activities with Fujitsu to new regions en route to a truly global offering. Fujitsu’s global capability extends the reach of ImageWare’s patented, multimodal biometric technology as a core element of Fujitsu’s cyber security portfolio across the globe.”

Please tell us more, Jason, about the ImageWare Systems relationship…how did it develop…why ImageWare?

Jason Bradlee:Our co-creation approach is strategic and ensures we develop the right partnerships and expertise that will enable us to deliver transformational outcomes. We select our partners carefully using this methodology. Organizations are adopting various types of authentication to achieve the right mix of security, privacy and a differentiated user experience. Our partnership with ImageWare allows us to expand our Identity and Access Management offerings to provide our customers with more multi-factor authentication technologies.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Bill Gates had it right in 2004 when he predicted the death of the password. Recent headlines unfortunately confirm that “passwords” are the root cause and common thread behind Equifax and so many other breaches. Biometrics now seems truly ready for mass adoption. Your thoughts on this megatrend, Jason?

Jason Bradlee: It is absolutely a step in the right direction. As you mentioned, passwords are problematic in many ways and biometrics go a long in addressing these issues, but it’s important to keep in mind that we still have a long way to go before we can declare victory in the war on cyber crime. For example, enterprises need to remain vigilant in how they store biometric information, since a breach of data that sensitive might result in identity theft, which could be even more catastrophic than a password leak. Information is the new currency, making data management, storage and access paramount for businesses. That’s why IT companies like Fujitsu are continuing to invest heavily in network, storage and quantum technologies that will go even further in mitigating security risks and protecting customer assets. It is definitely time to rethink your security strategy if biometrics is not part of your organization’s broader information security plan. As organizations search for more secure authentication methods for data access, physical access and general security, many are turning to biometrics.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Thanks again for joining us today, Jason. Are there any other subjects you would like to discuss?

Jason Bradlee: Fujitsu has been in the business of cyber security for many decades, and here in the Americas, we have made strides in the past few years to fortify our position as a leader in providing cutting-edge security solutions for our enterprise customers. Our BIOaaS offering is a good example of this, but it is far from the only one. I encourage readers to learn more about how our unique human-centric approach to security – and to all of the offerings across our extensive portfolio – is not only helping our customers stay safe, but also contributing to a better society.